Records

Ave.

Ave.

0-0

Top 16

0-0

1-4

Regular Season

4-1

1-4

Overall

4-1

Referees

Crew Chief

HIERREZUELO, DANI, Spain

Referee

KOWALSKI, MARCIN, Poland

Umpire

OZOLS, ARNIS, Latvia

The Take

These teams meet again after a very different first halves to the regular season. Efes beat Unics 82-76 in Istanbul and is undefeated on the road. Unics needs a big game from its point guard duo, Curtis Jerrells and Nikos Zisis, who must control the game tempo against Dontaye Draper, Dogus Balbay and Donnie McGrath. Efes relies on youngsters Cedi Osman and Furkan Korkmaz to make the difference at the wings along with Stratos Perperoglou and Matt Janning, whose last-second tip-in lifted his team against Real Madrid last week. None of them will have it easy, as Unics is really experienced at the wings with Keith Langford, Sergey Bykov and James White. Efes is still without Nenad Krstic, so Stephane Lasme, Dario Saric and Milko Bjelica will see most of the playing time around the baskets. Saric faces a tough test against Unics power forwards Kostas Kaimakoglou and Viktor Sanikidze, while Lasme has a tough matchup against D'or Fischer. Expect high intensity and drama in Kazan.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Euroleague.net

Game Notes

Unics Kazan
Coach Argiris Pedoulakis coached Efes big man Stephane Lasme during parts of the past two seasons at Panathinaikos Athens.
Nikos Zisis needs 5 more assists to reach the 500 milestone for his Euroleague career, which is something only 14 players have previously done.
Zisis has made 10 consecutive free throws in Euroleague games.
Zisis registered his Euroleague career-high in scoring with 22 points against Efes Pilsen nearly a decade ago. Zisis, then with AEK Athens, made 4 of 6 three-pointers in leading Athens to a 70-69 victory in March 2005.
Kostas Kaimakoglou has made at least 1 three-pointer in 10 of his last 11 Euroleague appearances.
Keith Langford has scored in double figures in 20 consecutive Euroleague games.
Langford has recorded at least 1 steal in each of his last seven Euroleague games.
In three games against Anadolu Efes last season, Langford led his team, EA7 Milan, with an average of 20 points on 7-of-15 three-points shooting.
D’or Fischer had one of the best games of his Euroleague career against Efes Pilsen. He led his team at the time, Real Madrid, to an 89-86 overtime win in February 2011 with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks, which tied his career-best performance index rating of 30.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Matt Janning was a teammate of Unics Kazan forward Viktor Sanikidze during the 2012-13 season at Montepaschi Siena.
Stratos Perperoglou and Kostas Kaimakoglou won the 2011 Euroleague together at Panathinaikos. There were teammates on the Greens for two seasons, from 2010-2012.
Perperoglou has played alongside Kaimakoglu and Unics guard Nikos Zisis on the Greek national team in recent years.
Cedi Osman comes off his finest Euroleague game to date. He scored 16 points on 4-of-4 three-point shooting last week in helping lead Efes to victory over Real Madrid.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

PASHUTIN, EVGENY

Unics Kazan

"It is a big chsllenge for me. There are many good players in Unics, but we have got an ambitious task to win in every game. We need to break this line, stop the losing series and start winning. Unfortunately, I did not manage to watch the recent Euroleague game, but I know the result. It is important to bring the players together, the more complicated the situation is, the more important it is for the players to cling together. They should be a team, help each other in every way and play secure in defense.
Dusan Ivkovic is a legend, one of the best coaches in Europe. It will be a very interesting game. We will play at home and will do our best to win."

IVKOVIC, DUSAN

Anadolu Efes Istanbul

"After a good performance against Real Madrid last week, we have to perform another good game for sure. Unics Kazan is a very experienced and strong team on one on one offensive game. Thay have some of the best players in Euroleague in their positions. In the first game in Istanbul, approximately a month ago, we had serious problems in the game. Now we have a lot of injury problems. We have to prepare well. The game control will be very important. According to the standings of Unics Kazan at the moment, a very tough game will be waiting for the teams. I expect a good game and a good result."

Players

BYKOV, SERGEY

Unics Kazan

"We have no right to make a mistake. We need to win, and it will be pretty nice to gain revenge from Anadolu Efes. We will play at home, and we will be doing our best to please our fans with a good game. Of course, there are always chances to win. Now that our opponents have Nenad Krstic injured, these chances for us could have become better."

JANNING, MATT

Anadolu Efes Istanbul

"Another big road game in Euroleague. Unics Kazan is a very good offensive team with good players like Jerrels, Langford. We need to focus a lot on our defence to stop them and to control the game. We want to return back here with a victory."

Langford's big 4th quarter lifts Unics past Efes

Unics Kazan rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to edge Anadolu Efes Istanbul 67-64 at home on Thursday. Unics improved to 2-4 and boosted its chances to reach the Top 16, while Efes dropped to 4-2. Keith Langford scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead Unics's comeback. D'or Fischer added 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Kostas Kaimakoglou netted 10 points for Unics. Dario Saric led Efes with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Dogus Balbay added 11 points and Matt Janning had 10 for the guests. An outstanding Balbay and a three-pointer by Milko Bjelica allowed Efes to get a 14-18 edge after 10 minutes. Kaimakoglou and Langford brought Unics within 20-22, but Cedi Osman and Dontaye Draper fueled a 0-7 run that gave Efes a 28-34 margin at halftime. A 0-9 run that Saric capped with a reverse layup gave Efes its biggest lead, 28-43, right after the break. Efes still led 43-53 after three quarters, but a 15-2 run put Unics ahead, 58-55. Saric managed to put Efes back in front, 60-62, but Langford hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final two minutes – including 4 in the final 5.8 seconds – to lead Unics to a critical home win.

First quarter: Balbay puts visitors ahead

Dario Saric got Efes going with a layup in transition, but Dmitry Sokolov split free throws and dunked to give Unics a 3-2 lead. Matt Janning buried a six-meter jumper before Kostas Kaimakoglou matched it with a fast break layup and Nikos Zisis scored in penetration for a 7-4 Unics edge. After Stephane Lasme scored down low, Sokolov made foul shots. An acrobatic layup by Dogus Balbay kept Efes within 9-8. Saric stepped up with a put-back layup after a timeout. D'or Fischer countered with a basket inside. Balbay nailed a six-meter jumper off the dribble, which Fischer bettered with a layup-plus-foul. A red hot Balbay quickly answered with his own three-point play and Milko Bjelica struck from downtown for a 14-18 Efes advantage at the end of the quarter.

Second quarter: Efes remains in control

Both teams struggled to score until Bjelica swished a five-meter jumper. Unics could not find the way to the basket and a layup by Lasme made it an 8-point game. Sergey Bykov finished a three-chance Unics offense with a close basket, but he didn't find much help around. Kaimakoglou stepped up with a three-pointer, however, and Keith Langford split free throws to get within 20-22. Cedi Osman rescued Efes with a bomb from downtown and a jumper by Donnie McGrath restored a 5-point edge. Dontaye Draper took over with a wild driving layup that capped a 0-7 run. Zisis made free throws, but Osman provided a highlight with a fast break slam, which caused Unics to stop the game at 22-31. Fischer followed a layup with free throws but a triple by Bjelica kept Efes in control. James White brought Unics within 28-34 at halftime.

Third quarter: Unics fights, but Efes extends lead

Janning buried a three-pointer immediately after the break. Perperoglou hit a jumper and Janning added a layup, which boosted the guests' lead to 28-41. Unics had been held scoreless for more than three minutes, while a reverse layup by Saric capped a 0-9 Efes run for a 28-43 lead. Fischer split foul shots and a layup by Kaimakoglou brought the hosts a bit closer. Langford scored in penetration, as Unics improved its defense midway through the quarter. Efes kept struggling to score and a driving layup by Curtis Jerrells brought the hosts within single digits. Osman took over with an off-balance three-point play. Langford made free throws, but a jumper by Draper kept Efes way ahead, 37-48. Langford insisted with foul shots and an alley-oop slam by Fischer gave Unics hope. Balbay shined with a two-handed slam and a buzzer-beating triple by Janning restored a 43-53 Efes lead.

Fourth quarter: Langford leads impressive comeback

Kaimakoglou hit one from beyond the arc early in the quarter and a layup by Fischer made it a 5-point game. Efes had lost control on offense and a big triple by Jerrells caused Coach Dusan Ivkovic to call timeout at 51-53. Balbay provided a highlight with a wild put-back slam in traffic, but Fischer dunked off a steal and a three-pointer by Langford completed the hosts' comeback at 56-55, midway through the quarter. Jerrells scored in penetration to cap a 15-2 run before a triple by Saric tied the game at 58-58. Langford scored around the basket, but Saric followed a four-meter jumper with free throws for a 60-62 Efes edge with over two minutes to go. Langford made 3 of 4 free throws to put Unics back ahead, 63-62, with 52.6 seconds left. Efes had chances, but Stratos Perperoglou missed a jumper and Bjelica stepped out of bounds with 5.8 seconds to go. Langford and Draper traded free throws. Efes fouled Langford with 2.6 seconds left; he made both attempts and Draper missed from way downtown at the buzzer.

Head Coaches

PASHUTIN, EVGENY

Unics Kazan

"I congratulate everyone for the win: players, fans and the president of the club. This win matters a lot with the view to qualify for the Top 16. We have strong players on our roster, and it is very important for them to become a team. We had a strong opponent today, very interesting to play. Ivkovic is one of the best coaches in Europe, an icon in European basketball, and his team usually plays high-IQ basketball. It is important that we have played with heart, with strong emotions that drove us forward. We showed good sports character. For example, Sokolov sacrificed a tooth in order not to give an opportunity for the opponents to score. Maybe this prevented points for them in a decisive moment, which helped us to win. I tried to have broad rotation today, and because of this, the team's leaders were pretty fresh at the end of the game."

IVKOVIC, DUSAN

Anadolu Efes Istanbul

"Good evening. I am happy to be back in Kazan, in Russia, but I did not like the way we played. I think that Anadolu Efes was a better team for three quarters and controlled the game. We played good defense. And it's definitely very difficult now to explain, why we stopped playing defense. We conceded 24 points in the fourth quarter and lost the most important quarter 11-24. It means that we have started the second part of our group elimination phase with a defeat, and we will have to work a lot to qualify for the Top 16. I wish good luck to Evgeny Pashutin and his team. I know Evgeny for long, he was my assistant in Moscow. He is my good friend."